Finding oneself in a completely unfamiliar body can be disorienting at first. If you also consider the influx of new, unfamiliar and unclear memories, plus all the general information, it gets even more disorienting.
The memories came in as a jumbled mess at first, but letting them settle and reviewing them again made it easy enough to put them in a somewhat chronological order.
Taking a few short minutes, he began to steady himself. He leafed through the mix of memories and pure knowledge and as he did so, those memories started to fuse or integrate and become part of himself. This whole process was actually quite smooth, perhaps because they were his memories in the first place.
His name was Kuroichi Ankoku now and he was only 3 years old. He had a lot of memories of his new father raising him, very differently compared to his first life at that. His mother died giving birth, so it was only his father and him on the little "homestead" where he spent his first 3 years.
He remembered with clarity how his father would look at him with a face filled with pride when he learned something new, or did a goof job on a task he was assigned. He also remembered his fathers dedication to educate him properly, making sure he could properly read and write as well as know some basic information about the world.
That made him stop and think for a few seconds. 'My father should not be this simple, how would a normal farmer know how to read, write and so much else? He must have been a shinobi at some point.'
Leaving that issue aside, he continued going through his memories until he arrived at the present day. What he discovered involuntarily made him let out a gasp.
FLASHBACK:
It was noon and the sun was at it's highest point glaring down on anyone unlucky enough to be without shade. Kuroichi was watching his father use a bull to plow the field in the backyard, getting the ground ready for the crops that should be planted in a few days.
Suddenly, as if startled by something unseen, Kuroichi's father stopped what he was doing abruptly and with speed that defied reason picked Kuroichi up in his arms.
Startled, Kuroichi asked what's going on and almost instinctively started to cry, but his father in a slightly nervous but soothing tone said:"Kuroichi listen to me, this is very important. Some people are going to be here any minute now, and you cannot, under any circumstances, let them see you! Whatever you hear, do not come out from under the special hiding spot I showed you before!"
Sensing the seriousness of the situation Kuroichi sniffled: "O-Okay Tou-san, I promise I'll do as you say!"
"That's my boy!" Kuroichi's father smiled down at him slightly. "Remember whatever you hear, do not come out for a long time!" he said just as they arrived at an inconspicuous tree at the back of the property.
Using quick hand gestures, black lines suddenly spread out from under his feet and the ground opened up to reveal a set of dark stairs, shaped out of earth, that led into the darkness.
Hurriedly Kuroichi's father went down the stair and arrived in a relatively large room, filled with some rations, a table and chair, as well as a small bookshelf filled with scrolls. He lit a candle, sat Kuroichi down on the chair, and gave him a long look, before lightly kissing the top of his hat.
"Whatever happens, know this: your mother and I loved you more than anything else! You are a blessing and I enjoyed every moment I ever spent with you!"
Kuroichi noticed a small tear streaking down the face of his father, who, at this moment, looked so melancholic but also more determined than ever before.
Before Kuroichi could respond, his father wasn't in sight anymore and the light streaking in from where the stairs were started disappearing, accompanied by screeching sounds as the entrance closed.
Nervously tapping his feet, he waited as he noticed the noise from outside gradually becoming louder.
Whatever jutsu his father used, made it so that almost no sounds from the outside could be heard inside the hideout. Naturally that went for the other way round as well. Gradually however he heard a few explosions, then the very earth rattled and shook a few times until a little later he heard very loud explosions.
Scared and frightened, Kuroichi sat there until the candle burned out, and even after that, in pitch-black darkness he remembered his fathers words and stayed seated, not even lighting a new candle.
He had no idea for how long he sat in there, but when he finally couldn't hold it anymore he walked up the stairs to find exit.
He noticed a small blinking dot on the inscriptions covering the exit, and intuitively he put his finger there. He felt a small prick and with loud screeching the exit opened up for him.
Cautiously he peeked his head out, until he found that everything was clear. The place where he grew up now had become unrecognizable. There where holes in the ground, destroyed trees that fell over and he could even see his house in the distance being nothing but a wreck.
Slowly he trudged through what used to be the field, looking for any signs of his father. A short while later he found blood stains on the ground, which became more and more the further he went, until he arrived at a spot where everything was blown to bits.
Blood, flesh, innards and whatever else kind of matter inside a human body was everywhere he looked.
Within Kuroichi's mind, the dots connected seeing this sight, and he knew that what he was looking at where some of the remains of his father. His heart which beat nervously in his chest before froze, and each beat after that felt like a sharp thud in his chest.
"NOOO DAAAAD???"
He fell on his knees in anguish and as the reality of the situation began to settle in, he blacked out.
FLASHBACK END
The memories felt fresh and they hurt him a lot, emotionally speaking, on the other hand, he didn't feel the same anguish and devastation he felt before he got his old memories back. They were more muted now. He tried to calm himself and while it didn't work immediately it did have an effect.
He noticed an unfamiliar sensation in his body. It felt like prickling honey flowing all throughout his body. It originated from his stomach region and through channels that were very difficult to make out, this energy was flowing to every part in his body.
'This must be chakra then! At least I awakened it now rather than needing someone else to unlock it for me, that would have been bad..' he thought.
Trying to distract himself from the still very raw pain of losing another parent, he started playing around with the chakra. It was difficult to consciously move, as he was very unfamiliar with it and didn't want to make any mistakes, so he stopped even trying for now.
The only things he did do was notice the sensation of chakra flowing through his body, and then consciously accelerating or slowing down the pace at which it moved a little bit. It wasn't very noticeable but he felt this was safe enough to do.
Immediately he noticed that when he accelerated the chakra flow in his body his perception changed just a little bit. It would be difficult to descrive, it just felt like his awareness was a bit sharper than usual.
While he did that he also finally opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. They were just what he remembered and as he finished playing around with his chakra, he noticed his mood get darker again thinking about what happened and what he would do now.
Forcing himself to be rational, he remembered that place he hid in during the ordeal with his father. He felt like maybe those scrolls could answer some of the questions he had.
He made his way back, and luckily the entrance/exit to the hiding place hasn't closed by itself. He walked down the stairs and started leafing through the dusty scrolls. Each one had a title so he picked out one scroll which title immediately drew his attention.
For my Son
Son, if you read this I am probably dead. I created this place with all the knowledge I have in order for you to learn of our shared past, should I not be able to teach you anymore. We are the last members of the Ankoku clan. I have taught you about the different nations and their shinobi villages, but I didn't go into details about their respective clans.
The Ankoku clan was once a minor yet respected faction within Kirigakure, wielding a kekkei genkai shrouded in mystery to outsiders. With our ability to wield Dark Release, a truly formidable bloodline limit, we not only have an intuitive understanding of chakra, but we can absorb the chakra of our enemies, use it for our own purposes and in some cases even absorb and re-release jutsu of enemies.
The origins of our clan remain largely unknown, even to me. What I do know however is that our clan used to be loyal subjects to Kirigakure, but somewhere along the line, the Ankoku clan deserted the village.
The Ankoku served as enforcers, counteracting enemy jutsu and turning their strenghts against them. I know many people within Kiri's higher-ups were wary of us; shinobi that could absorb the techniques of even their most powerful shinobi, making us difficult to control.
After we defected, we were constantly on the run. I was still a child thenand don't remember much but with time we were hunted almost to extinction. One elder, the last other member of our clan, who took me with him stayed behind in order for me to live.
In this room I have written down everything I know. Not only of our clan, and other clans, but also more general knowledge, as well as the different techniques I know. I hope you quickly grow strong and continue our legacy, in whichever form you see fit.
Please be careful and live happily,
Your Father
Kuroichi barely noticed the tears streaming down his face. Even tho he wasn't truly this little child, like his body suggested, his memories still felt like his and reading these words of his father made him feel a certain way. Before he was completely oblivious to the warmth that love and family can bring, but now he would have liked to experience it in real life, not through his memories. However, that obviously wouldn't be possible anymore.
In that moment he decided to not only follow his fathers advice, but also to find out who killed him and get his revenge.
Moving on, he stood up and took all the scrolls off the shelf. He placed them close to his chair and started reading, determined to absorb everything his father left for himself.